View Full Version : Fan(s) run while in menus
fall-line
2008-02-19, 18:48
On my 2.0Ghz Mac mini I've noticed that the fan(s) run on at a constant state of medium to high speed when XBMC is sitting idle at the menus. I have not done a ton of research into this, but I have noticed other commenters complain of this same behavior on the blog so I thought I would start a thread.
Here is what I do know:
When sitting idle in any XBMC menu (default Project Mayhem III skin) the fan speeds increase to annoying levels.
I have tried disabling skin animations and scrolling, no change.
According to top, XBMC is using (only) about 10% CPU while idle
Fan(s) do not spin up when playing media back, even 720p with DTS sound, despite CPU being highly utilized
Here is what I don't know:
I haven't measured the actual temperature via on board sensors during this behavior (it does appear to be heat related however, as the fan(s) will spin down only after a period of time after XBMC has been closed or a video playback started)
I'm not sure if users are experiencing this behavior on any other hardware platforms
Anyone have any other experiences to share?
Thanks
fall-line
2008-02-20, 19:39
One more observation to add: Last night I downloaded and installed the xTV (http://forums.xbox-scene.com/index.php?showtopic=583541) skin (which is beautiful by the way.) While XBMC still uses about 10% of the CPU time while sitting idle in a menu, I have noticed that the machine is noticeably cooler and the fans do not spin up as much as it did with the default Project Mayhem III skin.
I wouldn't however say that this solves the problem, as the fan noise is still noticeable while idle. As before, as soon as I start playing a video (even 720p), or exit XBMC, the heat seems to drop and the fan noise tapers off and disappears.
As this doesn't seem to be CPU heat related, is there anything I can do (preferably from the terminal via ssh) to help diagnose a potential issue with the video card utilization, etc?
Cheers
Im experiencing a lot of fan noise as well. It spins up when idle in xbmc. The mini is fairly new, does it have a learning proces it has to go through? If the noise it makes is normal I think I will be sending the unit back. Its louder than the Xbox, that cant be right.
smedberg
2008-04-26, 15:48
Hmm, I barely notice the fan i my 2Ghz mini. The xbox is far more noisy.
I also Have this problem on MacBook 2gig
the problem have a ticket http://dn-0.com/xbmc-trac/ticket/185
I'm on same config as fall-line and I've also noticed the fans in idle-mode. Really strange, and in Aeon it's even worse but I guess the backdrops Aeon is using is pretty memory intensive.
Nathaniel
2008-04-27, 19:40
I have the 2.0Ghz model as well (bought it less than a month ago), but it's silent like the grave. I can't hear it even if I put my ear to it (which I have to do sometimes, damn TV bench...).
If I play video the things quiet as a mouse. As soon as I get some flash(video) in Safari it starts to blow. So i think Im gonna be cool with it. 90% of the time Ill be running XBMC so im cool with it.
HELLUVA JOB on OSXBMC by the way. Only thing Im having is AV lag but that has to do with my AMP/TV so I aint gonna bitch about it here... Really really like the OSXBMC!
Helluva job on XBMC for Mac OS X then!
I wish I could help but even though Ive been on the web for some time (heh, Ive been downloading Buffy and ST Voyager from the www in RealVideo format) Im absolutely clueless when I get (too deep) beneath the surface of applications.
this is still a problem in 0.5 beta1.
http://dn-0.com/xbmc-trac/ticket/185
and I donīt think you can see the problem in a xbmc.log file
http://pastebin.com/mf3cf06d
iordonez
2008-05-08, 22:32
What is your Mini sitting on/under? make sure there is ventilation around it, move it away from your receiver, etc.
itīs a MacBook cpu load idle is 10 -20%
iordonez
2008-05-09, 00:27
What is your Macbook sitting on/under? Make sure there is ventilation around it, move it away from your receiver, etc. Check and run any EFI/PMU updates that are available.
Lucidmind
2008-05-09, 10:50
This happens on my macbook as well. Well ventilated it is too, and it only ever happens in XBMC. In the menus or if you pause a movie. As long as you play a movie it's normal, but as soon you stop or pause, the fans go up.
fall-line
2008-05-15, 20:09
What is your Macbook sitting on/under? Make sure there is ventilation around it, move it away from your receiver, etc. Check and run any EFI/PMU updates that are available.
It sounds like this issue is well known at this point, and honestly it doesn't bother me as much as it used to. It still persists though so I thought I would respond to this question since I opened the tread initially.
My mini is in a spot with excellent ventilation. I even placed a small spacer underneath the machine which raises it up off the shelf and provides 1/2 inch of free air movement underneath it. It has at least 5 inches of clearance to fresh air on all sides/top. I've updated the machine with all the latest EFI firmware and OS patches/updates as well.
Thanks again!
On my 2.0Ghz Mac mini I've noticed that the fan(s) run on at a constant state of medium to high speed when XBMC is sitting idle at the menus. I have not done a ton of research into this, but I have noticed other commenters complain of this same behavior on the blog so I thought I would start a thread.
Here is what I do know:
When sitting idle in any XBMC menu (default Project Mayhem III skin) the fan speeds increase to annoying levels.
I have tried disabling skin animations and scrolling, no change.
According to top, XBMC is using (only) about 10% CPU while idle
Fan(s) do not spin up when playing media back, even 720p with DTS sound, despite CPU being highly utilized
Here is what I don't know:
I haven't measured the actual temperature via on board sensors during this behavior (it does appear to be heat related however, as the fan(s) will spin down only after a period of time after XBMC has been closed or a video playback started)
I'm not sure if users are experiencing this behavior on any other hardware platforms
Anyone have any other experiences to share?
Thanks
Does anyone know if this issue ever got resolved? I think I'm running Atlantis on my MacPro and I experience this same issue. I've got the ATI Radeon (9600, I think?) and same deal in the menu... the fans spin up, but when I play video (720p) or exit XBMC, the fans spin down after 30 seconds or so.
"top" from the command-line will show the cpu usage of xbmc. better than guessing as to why the fans kicking. Also which skin are you using?